Semiconductor devices are found in many products in the fields of entertainment, communications, networks, computers, and household markets. Semiconductor devices are also found in military, aviation, automotive, industrial controllers, and office equipment. The semiconductor devices perform a variety of electrical functions necessary for each of these applications.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices involves formation of a wafer having a plurality of die. Each semiconductor die contains hundreds or thousands of transistors and other active and passive devices performing a variety of electrical functions. For a given wafer, each die from the wafer typically performs the same electrical function. Front-end manufacturing generally refers to formation of the semiconductor devices on the wafer. The finished wafer has an active side containing the transistors and other active and passive components. Back-end manufacturing refers to cutting or singulating the finished wafer into the individual die and then packaging the die for structural support and environmental isolation.
One goal of semiconductor manufacturing is to produce smaller semiconductor devices. Smaller devices typically consume less power, have higher performance, and can be produced more efficiently. In addition, smaller semiconductor devices have a smaller footprint, which is desirable for smaller end products. A smaller die size may be achieved by improvements in the front-end process resulting in die with smaller, higher density active and passive components. Back-end processes may result in semiconductor device packages with a smaller footprint by improvements in electrical interconnection and packaging materials.
When combining several semiconductor die into a single package, it is important to minimize the overall size of the package to maintain a small package footprint. In addition to a small package footprint, however, it is important that the electrical interconnects formed between each component of the package be robust. For example, in conventional packages using wire bond electrical interconnects, the package must be sufficiently large and with sufficient space between each component to ensure the wire bonds do not contact other components of the package or each other, and that they are not bent at extreme angles. In conventional packages, if the wire bonds contact other components of the package, they may become damaged resulting in a short-circuit or other electrical malfunction.